Frozen Fear
by George Stark II
Summary: This is a SLASH story, told from Diego's point of view. A lot of him struggling with feelings. DiegoxSid but it doesn't get dirty or anything.
1. Chapter 1

**  
Chapter 1**

It was late enough in the morning for the sun to shed light upon the icy world, but still too early for most of the creatures inhabiting it to have awoken. Herds of animals could be seen sleeping, anywhere from in a tree to beside a river. One of these herds was most unusual, because it had not animals of the same species, but a few different kinds of animals. But there was no doubt they were a herd. More than just a herd, they were family.

The family consisted of two mammoths, twin possums, a saber-toothed tiger, and usually a sloth, who at the moment was nowhere to be seen. As the light from the sun descended upon their makeshift camp, the tiger rose and stretched.

It was relaxing, and he held it for a moment, just to savor the sweet pleasure of a good morning stretch. He opened his eyes and surveyed his friends. As the toughest and most fierce of the herd, Diego felt protective of them. The mammoths, Manny and Ellie, were asleep beside each other. Pretty hard to miss. The twin brother possums, Crash and Eddie, were asleep in a tree a few feet away from the mammoths. There were a few burnt-out logs in the middle of the encampment, and the Diego trotted around them, expecting to see his last furry friend still asleep on the other side.

"Where's Sid?" he asked the empty air around him. Manny shifted in his sleep, but no one answered him. Diego sat down on the ground, confused. Sid was lazy, always a late sleeper. Where had he wandered off to so early in the morning? Diego looked around again. A distance away, he could see other animals and their respective herds waking up, drinking water, and wandering around. He decided it couldn't hurt to wake his friends. The sun was getting higher now, it was about time they got up anyway.

"Hey, Manny," Diego said, pressing a tawny paw against his head.

"No, I didn't make the tree fall over," Ellie muttered, awkwardly turning over in her sleep.

"Manny," Diego whispered loudly, trying to shake the giant mammoth awake.

"Hmm?" Manny said, opening one large eye.

"Manny, have you seen Sid?" Diego asked.

Manny shook his head, slowly standing up. "What do you mean?" Manny said sleepily.

"Sid's gone," Diego said. "He's not here. I don't know where he went."

"Sid?" a small, high-pitched voice said.

"Where did you two come from?" Diego said, looking down with annoyance at the little possums that had appeared out of nowhere.

"We saw Sid."

"He's gone."

"They took him."

"Kidnapped."

"Don't know what they wanted with him."

"Just walked off with him."

"Late at night."

"He was still asleep."

"Didn't know a thing."

"Wait, slow down," Diego said, staring down at the two. "They _took_ Sid? Who took Sid?"

"The _Others_," Crash said in a serious, mystical voice, and then he and his twin burst out laughing, then bounded away, giggling and chattering to each other.

"Were they _joking_?" Diego asked, looking out where they had gone.

"Might be," Ellie said behind him, getting to her feet. "But if Sid really is gone, they're probably telling the truth."

Diego took off after the possums to find out where Sid went.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

About an hour or so later, the group came upon a small valley inhabited with colorful, miniature sloths. Diego saw Sid immediately. He was the big one, at the front, being waited on. A couple of attractive female sloths were on either side of him, shading and fanning him with giant leaves. Diego felt his claws dig into the earth. What right did these little twits have to kidnap Sid and worship him? Diego had spoken to them directly, just a few days ago.

Sid was considering joining their herd. They called him 'Fire King.' Sid liked that. Diego did not. He couldn't help feeling a certain...loathing...for these creatures. Maybe it was a feeling he felt specifically toward sloths. He hadn't exactly liked Sid when he first met him, either. But these weird ones were different. They weren't pathetic in a cute way, like Sid. They were just really annoying and made Diego's flesh crawl with anger. First of all, Sid's name wasn't 'Fire King.' It was 'Lord of the Flame.' How could they mess something like that up? Second, what right did they have to just walk up and kidnap Sid back to their place whenever they wanted? Sid didn't belong to them. He wasn't part of their pack. He was part of Diego's pack. That was the way it should be.

But the third thing was even worse. They could see Sid, from where they were standing on top of a hill. He was surrounded by other sloths, most of them attractive females. They were brining him food and water, doing anything he desired. And Sid was laughing. Sid was enjoying himself. Sid liked the attention. Sid didn't mind being kidnapped by them. Sid didn't miss his herd.

Diego growled in his throat. He felt his sharp claws prick the ground. It had been so long, _so long_, since he'd made a kill. It would be so nice to go down there, face one of the little sloths by Sid, and give it a good swipe. Maybe even eat it.

"You'd deserve it too, you little..." Diego muttered.

"Hey, what's your problem?"

Diego looked up. Manny was looking at him.

"What?"

"You seem upset about something."

Diego shook his head. "Whatever. So what, are we gonna go down there? Get our rotting ball of fur back?"

"Come on, look," Ellie said, pointing with her trunk. Sid was being fed some grapes by one of the she-sloths next to him. Diego felt his claws prick the ground again. "When does Sid get that kind of attention from us? Look at him. He's enjoying himself."

"What, are you suggesting we just leave him?" Diego looked up at her, shocked. "He's part of our herd, he's our friend."

"Ellie has a point, though," Manny said. "Sid's happy here. Those things like him. If he'd wanted to come back, he would have done so. Maybe he will come back, later. But he's our friend. We care about him. If he's happy here, and he wants to stay with them, why force him away?"

"But..." Diego said, annoyed, and tried to think of an argument.

"I'm surprised at you, Diego," Manny said. "For someone who's always complaining about Sid, making fun of him, laughing at him, complaining whenever he touches you, you're certainly very insistent on trying to get him back."

Diego felt embarrassed and angry.

"Let him be, hon," Ellie said gently. "Maybe he'll come back later. But if this kind of pack is what he wants, you wouldn't be too good a friend by taking it away from him."

She and Manny turned around to leave, and Diego sat down on the ledge, crestfallen and baffled. It was like the world had been turned upside-down.

"Sid..." he whispered. He looked down and watched his friend for a minute. He probably would have stayed longer. He probably would have stayed there watching, until nightfall, when he could steal Sid back.

But Manny called him.

"Diego, you coming?"

"Uh, yeah," Diego said, regaining his composure. He turned his back on the sloths and began to follow the mammoths. Diego looked back at Sid one more time and saw the girl feeding him again. His insides lurched, and he forced himself to turn away. Slowly, he followed after the mammoths, back to the camp.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The twins and Ellie were running around, playing, joined soon by Manny. Diego lied down by the riverbank, half-watching some birds. Thinking about Sid.

Diego sighed, and felt something tap his back. He looked over and saw Manny.

"Diego, what's up with you lately?" Manny asked.

Diego shrugged.

"Come on. We're playing your favorite game, 'eat the possums.' "

"It's not funny," Diego snapped.

Manny sighed.

"What right does he have, just leaving us like that?" Diego asked angrily. "Why would he want to live with those overgrown rats? After all we've done for him, how can he betray us like that?"

"Why are you so sensitive about this?" Manny asked exasperatedly. "So Sid found a new herd. He's happy there, Diego. You saw him. Maybe we should have given Sid more attention when he was with us."

"We've helped him out so many times! Those things tried to sacrifice him last time he was with them. I just want to...tear their little heads off."

Manny raised his eyebrows and looked down at Diego. "You don't need to be so touchy, you know. The rest of us aren't overreacting. Do we miss having Sid around? Yeah. But are we happy that he's happy in his new herd? Yeah. You seem to be the only outsider there."

"I'm not overreacting. You guys are under-reacting. Sid…those sloths…" Diego sighed. There was just no convincing the rest of them. If he wanted to get Sid back (which he really, really did, he realized with a painful twinge), he would have to do it himself.

That night, after the rest were asleep, Diego crept off into the night. He moved stealthily and silently, and snuck into the sloths' little valley. There were some sloths still awake and alert, but Diego had always been a great hunter, and part of hunting was knowing how to keep quiet and practically invisible. Fortunately, Sid was asleep, and he was a heavy sleeper. Diego carefully picked Sid up and positioned him on his back.

But even for Diego, capturing and escaping with the most guarded member of the sloth pack was no easy task. He had almost gotten away when someone noticed him.

"Tiger has the Fire King!" someone shouted. The next thing he knew, Diego had a dozen little sloths coming after him. Diego reared his head and growled loudly at them. He couldn't attack the sloths with Sid on his back, but as he had planned, the growl scared them enough to keep them from coming any closer.

Unfortunately, it also woke up Sid, who couldn't figure out where he was at first.

"Diego?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," Diego muttered, slowly back away from the sloths.

"Fire King! Run! Save yourself!" a sloth yelled.

Diego felt his back paw make contact with something, and realized he had backed into a wall. The sloths had cornered him. He looked around. He really didn't want to have to attack. Sid might get upset with him.

"Hang on tight, Sid," Diego said.

"Why, what are you gonna…ahh!"

Diego felt Sid's furry arms clamp around his neck as he leapt over the sloths and took off at full speed.

A few more sloths tried to come after them, but Diego took a swipe at anyone who came close and kept running.

"Where are we going, Diego?"

"Back," Diego said, wishing Sid wouldn't talk. This was difficult enough without him asking questions. "Back to Manny, and Ellie, and the possums. Back to our _herd_, Sid."

"Oh, now it's _our_ herd."

"It's always been our herd. _Our _herd that you betrayed."

"I didn't leave! They took me!"

"Then why didn't you come back?"

Sid shouted and clenched Diego tight as he made another jump over something.

"I liked that herd," Sid said. "They were good. They reshpected me."

"We respect you too, Sid. We've saved your fuzzy behind from certain death a few times. What have they done for you?"

"They like me, Diego! They gave me attention. They never made fun of me, or…or made sarcastic comments about me, or laughed at me. They liked me. I liked living with them."

Diego stopped running. He shook himself so Sid fell off.

"Whoa," Sid said, and got back to his feet. "You didn't need to do that."

"Fine," Diego said, glaring at Sid.

"What?"

"Fine! Go back to your precious sloth herd! Let them worship you! Let the girls wait on you every minute! Fine! Go! Get out of here!"

"Diego, I—"

"What?" Diego realized his breathing was heavy. "What?"

Sid looked out at the horizon, where the sun was starting to come up. They could see their herd from here, the mammoths stood out very well. "I didn't say I wanted to leave. You guys were the first herd that ever accepted me. You're my friends. You're my family. If you want me back, I'll stay. I just…didn't expect you to come sneaking in in the dead of night and attacking all my friends." Slowly he approached Diego, and tenderly laid a hand on his back.

"Don't touch me," Diego said softly.

"But I did miss you," Sid said. "I…I guess I'm glad you came back for me. Just…next time, don't be so angry about the whole thing."

"Yeah, whatever," Diego said. "Just please get your hand off my back."

"Fine," Sid said, letting go. Neither of them moved for a minute; they just sat there, looking at the sun.

"So," Diego said briskly. "Can you walk back or are you so used to being pampered that you need me to carry you?"

"I can walk," Sid said, and the two of them headed down to the camp, where the other members of their herd were just awakening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Diego," Sid said, walking nervously up to the tiger later that morning. "I'm really sorry I didn't come back. I probably should have. You're right about how I'm really more a member of this herd than the other one."

"It's okay," Diego said, not looking at him. "It was just weird, you know. Not having you around."

"Yeah," Sid said, letting his guard down and sitting beside him. "It was different, living with them instead of you guys. Tell you the truth, I was planning on coming back after just the first day."

Diego looked at him. Studied him. "Why didn't you?"

"Well," Sid said, squirming. "It was a different kind of life, you know. They treated me different than you did. They loved me. They were nice to me, they gave me stuff, they did whatever I wanted them to. So, I started to...have doubts...wonder...'did you guys even want me back?'"

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not," Sid said, looking at the ground. "I mean, I'm not asking you guys worship me or anything, but just...with them, I could tell that all of them really loved me and wanted me in their pack. And with you guys, it's just, it feels like you're always on my case about something, so it made me kind of think you didn't even want me in your herd."

"Sid..." Diego started, but couldn't think of anything else to say.

"And really," Sid went on, "It's really you most of all. That's one of the reasons I was so surprised when you were taking me. Out of everyone in the herd, it seems like you're the one that doesn't like me most."

Diego didn't know what to say. Nothing could be further from the truth, but Sid didn't know that. Sid never would know that. No one would.

"You know," he continued. "Since you're the one who's always 'don't touch me,' you imply I'm not smart, you threaten to eat me." Sid ticked them off on his fingers. "You tease me a lot, you know. And it makes it seem like you don't like me."

Diego wanted to tell him that he was so tough on Sid _because_ he liked him, but he couldn't find a way to word it without using the exact phrase 'I like you.'

"Sid, just because I give you a hard time doesn't mean I don't want you in the herd, okay? If I hadn't wanted you back, I wouldn't have gone to get you last night."

"Yeah, I guess," Sid said. "Thanks for that."

"Sure," Diego said, lying back down, tired. "No problem."

Sensing that Diego wanted to be alone, Sid wandered away. A few minutes after he left, Diego went for a walk. He had some things he needed to think about.

**ATTENTION to the four of you who reviewed and anyone else who might have read my story:**

**The reason I have not updated in a week is because my story was on my laptop computer. I had chapters 1, 2, and 3 saved to a jump drive, but only those chapters. On Sunday, the first day that would let me upload a document since I was a new user, my laptop computer crashed. I couldn't do anything with it. I wanted to start publishing my story to so I used my jump drive to upload the first three chapters on a different computer. My dad took my laptop computer to get fixed, and now, a week later, he says it's dead. Nothing on my laptop computer can ever be recovered. Including the rest of Frozen Fear. Since a couple of people seemed to enjoy it, I will attempt to re-write the rest of it. I can't guarantee that the re-written version, with no reference to the original except the first 3 chapters, will be as good as I thought the original was. But this means that it will take longer, of course. I'll do my best, and I hope that the rest of the story will be as good as it was before. To everyone who reviewed, thank you so much for your support. It made me feel really good to write something and have people I've never met say they liked it and give me constructive criticism. Thank you, and I will update as soon as I can.**

**George Stark II**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Walks were nice. Walking with a friend was fun sometimes, but Diego preferred being by himself. That way he was alone to think, without some annoying little creature (usually Sid) asking him a bunch of random questions every other minute. Diego stretched and decided it was time to head back. He had been out for almost two hours, after all, and it would probably take him awhile. Diego had been walking for a few minutes before he realized something was following him.

It was too far away for him to see what kind of creature it was, but Diego was sure it was him the animal was following. Whenever he turned back, he saw it crouch behind a tree or something, trying not to be seen. Whatever it was was not a very experienced tracker. It put Diego on edge that something was tailing him. What did it want? Diego ran up ahead, and saw the animal pick up its pace a distance behind. There was a herd of animals up ahead, passing by a tree, and Diego ran in with them and climbed the tree quickly.

The animal caught up with Diego, and paused at the base of the tree, looking for him. It was a tiger, Diego saw. A saber, the same species as him, but female. A young female. Diego was intrigued. Where was her herd? Why wasn't she with them? Diego was the only saber he knew who didn't travel with a pack of fellow tigers.

Diego jumped out of the tree behind her. "Who are you? Why were you following me? What do you want?"

She gasped in surprise and turned around. She was quite young; her youth surprised Diego. She was hardly more than a girl, and such young females usually stayed close by their packs.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at the ground. "I didn't mean for you to see me. Diego knew that if she was a human, she would have been blushing. She was just a shy, young girl, and meant no harm. Diego softened his harsh tone.

"But what did you want?" he asked gently. "Where's your herd?"

"Oh, they're back there, by our cave," she said, looking up at Diego cautiously. "I just…my name's Sierra. I saw you…on your own…and…" she looked at the ground again, slightly embarrassed. "I'm going to be mating soon, and…all of the males in my pack are either taken or too young…I saw you, and thought…maybe I could meet your pack…maybe there was someone there…" Sierra appeared too terrified to look at Diego again, and he smiled.

"My pack," he repeated. Sierra looked as if she would bolt any minute. "Sierra," he said slowly. "Listen, you're cute and everything, but I don't think my pack would be interested in you."

"Oh. Okay." she said, in a very small voice, as though about to cry, and turned to leave, determinedly looking anywhere but at Diego.

"Wait," Diego said, putting a paw out to stop her, realizing she had misinterpreted his words.

Surprised by the touch, she looked at him again.

"Don't take it the wrong way," Diego said. "It's not like they wouldn't like you. It's just…my pack isn't your typical tiger herd. We consist of me, two mammoths, two possums, and a lazy sloth."

"What?" Sierra said, taking a step closer to Diego with a confused look on her face. Curiosity replaced all shyness in her expression. "I've never seen a herd like that before. Don't…don't you hunt those kinds of animals?"

"Well, I…I used to. But not anymore. Not them. Their my herd now. My friends. My family."

"Wow," Sierra said, impressed. "I've never heard of a herd like that. Ever. Can…can I meet them?"

Diego was surprised at how quickly she had changed from a shy, embarrassed girl to a curious young tiger, genuinely interested in something. But he was hesitant to let her meet his herd. He was protective of the, especially defenseless Sid. If she told her tiger pack about them, they might want to hunt them. "Sierra, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Oh," she said her face falling. "Well, that's okay I gue—oh!" And as if hit by a sudden realization, her shyness came back and she looked at the ground. In her small voice she had used before, she said, "Well, I'd better be going then."

"Wait," Diego said. She had gotten the wrong impression again. "I guess it's okay. I can introduce you to them."

"Really?" she asked, perking up immediately. "You mean it?"

"Sure," Diego said, smiling at her sincerity and fascination. "Come on."

They went back to where Diego's herd was, with Sierra, having lost her shyness once again, chattering the whole way.

**Okay, it may not seem to fit in to where the story is going, but Sierra is a very important character and you'll see in a while. Thanks so much for your reviews, they're what kept me going despite computer problems. !!**


	6. Chapter 6

**  
Chapter 6**

As Diego and Sierra approached the camp, everyone looked up at them.

"Hey!" Sid said. "Diego's got another tiger with him."

When they came into the camp with everyone watching them, some of Sierra's initial shyness with Diego returned. "Hi," she said, softly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm Sierra. D…Diego was telling me about you guys…his herd…and since I've never seen a herd like this before, I thought it would be interesting to meet you."

The rest introduced themselves, and once the possums got over their initial terror of a saber-toothed tiger they didn't know, they saw Sierra as another Ellie, another playmate, and clicked immediately.

Sid, however, sat down by Diego, who was resting near a stream. "Wow," he said, watching Sierra run around with Ellie and the possums. "Manny got a mate, you got a mate…"

"Come on," Diego said, rolling his eyes. "She's not my mate. I just met her. You know me well enough, Sid. Do you really think I'm the mating type?"

"Nah, you're right," Sid said. "No one can mate you. I mean, there'd be no way for anyone to know if you're even _interested_ in mating."

"What's that mean?"

"I mean, even if you did like a girl, like Sierra, you'd never tell her. How would she know you liked you? You barely even show your friends that you like them. If you ever liked anyone as more than just a friend, forget about it. The way you act around other animals, even your friends, it's like you're always trying to hide what you really mean. Like, showing your feelings for someone is your other fear."

Diego did not like the direction of this conversation, especially since it was true. "I don't like anyone," Diego said firmly. "My friends are my friends, and Sierra could be a friend if I get to know her, but I don't _like_ her. Or anyone else."

"Yeah, I know," Sid sighed. "I'm just saying if you did. No one would be able to tell. I mean, it took my half a year just to discover your secret fear of—"

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" Diego said tensely.

"Relax, Diego," Sid said, patting Diego's paw, which he immediately swept out of his reach. "I know you're over it. 'Cos I helped you."

"Yeah, whatever," Diego said, on edge again.

The rest of the herd that were out playing came close to the camp again, and sat around talking and eating fish for awhile. When the sun began to set, Sierra rose to her feet.

"Thanks for letting me meet your herd, Diego," she said earnestly. "They're all great. You're lucky to have them. I'd better be going back to my own herd now. They'll be worried if I'm not back by dark."

"You can come back any time," Ellie said, patting Sierra with her trunk. "It was great having another female to talk to."

"Thanks, Ellie," Sierra said, smiling. "I think I will come back and see you guys again. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day. Thanks so much." She smiled at Diego again, and took off.

"I really liked her, Diego," Ellie said after Sierra was out of earshot. "She's a really nice girl. She could be good for you, you know."

"Yeah," Manny said. "Who would've thought? Diego. She's a good match for you, you know. And it's about time you settled down and found a mate. And she's a good choice."

"Yeah, she's not my mate," Diego said, slightly annoyed by their assumptions. "I agree that she's a nice girl, but she's not the one for me. Sure, we could be friends. But mates? No way."

"Yeah," Sid said, shaking his head. "He was telling me the same thing. Poor Diego, never'll find a mate. I guess he'll be alone forever."

"I didn't say that," Diego muttered under his breath, watching as Sid started a fire to light the dark area.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hey there, tiger," a cheerful female voice called. Diego looked up and saw his young new friend sitting across the stream, watching him drink.

"Hello, Sierra," Diego said, smiling at the cheerful tiger across the stream. She had been a regular visitor for the past few days, and got along well with Diego and the rest of them.

"Wanna go for a walk?"

Diego shrugged noncommittally, but followed her when she bounded off.

"I really like your herd," Sierra said, slowing her pace, so Diego, who was walking, caught up with her.

"Yeah," Diego agreed. "They're good to have around."

"You seem to have really close bonds with them."

"I guess you could say that," he responded.

"It just…" Sierra struggled to find the right words. "Even though I've known you guys a couple of days, every time I see you, it just amazes me that you could…go against the laws of nature and go from predator and prey to…family. Because that's what you are, all of you, a family. How could something like that just happen?"

"You haven't heard the whole story yet, have you?" Diego said, looking at her quizzically.

She shook her head, and smiled expectantly at Diego.

Diego sighed. "You might want to sit down," he said. "It's a long story."

The two sat down in the cool shade of a tree, and Diego told her the story of his herd. How when he first met them, Sid was just a pain, a tempting snack that he could not eat, and Manny was part of his plot with his old herd. He told about how shocked he had been when Manny saved him from the lava and called the three of them and the baby a "herd." How Sid created fire, and then accidentally lit his own tail. How he had to change his mind at the last minute after realizing that this new herd meant more to him than his old one. How he had gotten badly hurt in a fight, but managed to make it through. How he was happily welcomed back into his herd (especially by Sid) when the realized he was still alive. Diego told Sierra about encountering Ellie and the twins, and about how Sid discovered his (this was a hard part to tell) fear of water and helped him overcome it. How Sid was going to drown and Diego had to face his fear to save him. How Manny almost left but instead brought Ellie and her brothers into the herd. How Sid was kidnapped by the evil miniature sloths and Diego had to rescue him.

"You see," Diego explained. "We've saved each others lives a few times, and have come to depend on each other. We started out like normal for our kind, but it's not like that anymore. Now we…we help each other. They're my herd, and I've gotta protect them."

"Wow," Sierra said, smiling at Diego. "You and Sid, huh?"

Diego shook his head. "He's helpless. Pathetic, to tell you the truth. I can't tell you how many times in the beginning I thought about eating him."

Sierra laughed. "Come on," she said. "He's helped you out enough."

"I guess he has," Diego said, and smiled, thinking about it. It was hard to believe that someone like Sid, who could barely take care of himself, had the effect that he did on Diego. "It feels good to be protective," Diego blurted out suddenly.

Sierra studied Diego with a blank expression for a moment, and then smiled. "Yeah," she agreed. "It does. It's good to feel needed. It's good to feel loved." She moved closer to him and rubbed her head against his shoulder.

Diego backed away. "Sierra," he said. "You know I'm not the mating type. I've told you I'm not into that."

"I _know_," she said, rolling her eyes, unhurt by his statement. "I wasn't hitting on you. That was a gesture of friendship. I don't know if you know what those words mean, but when you like someone, that's usually something you do, so that they know you like them. So they know that you care about them and want to continue your friendship with them. Because without gestures of friendship, whether physical or verbal, how do you know that your friends like you? And how do they know that you like them?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It was a nice day. The night before had been a chilly combination of rain and snow, putting out Sid's fire and causing the animals all to sleep beneath the tree, getting the best protection they could from the precipitation.

But all that had ended just before the rising of the sun, and the day was clear and bright. It felt fresh out, as though the air had been washed. Diego stretched and shook his head of the slight dampness that had gotten through the tree branches.

"Great morning," he said. "Who's up for a nice run?"

"Run, no, but walk, sure," Sid said, yawning. "And maybe we could get some food. I'm hungry."

"Yeah, food," Diego said, growling and snapping playfully at Sid, who screamed for a second and backed away, then caught Diego's satisfied smile and smiled back.

"You guys can head out, but we're going this way," Manny said, gently locking trunks with Ellie as the two of them went off for their own morning walk.

"Might be a while before they're back," Sid said, grinning. "Come on, Diego, I'm hungry. Let's get some food. Not me," he added quickly.

"Well, let's go then," Diego said, and raced quickly ahead.

"Wait up!" Sid said, trying unsuccessfully to hurry.

The possums, who had decided they didn't want to be alone at the camp, scampered ahead, laughing at Sid.

"Look, a river," Sid said when they allowed him to catch up. "Let's stop here. We can get fish. I'm starting to like fish, now."

"Yeah, Sid, let's see you catch one," Diego said, rolling his eyes.

Sid shuffled up to the edge of the water, tested it with his toe, and peered in. Diego couldn't resist. He snuck up behind Sid, and with a nod of his head, pushed him into the water.

Sid screamed in surprise while Diego and the possums laughed from the shore.

"Yeah, yeah," Sid said, annoyed at the joke at his expense as he climbed out of the water. "Bet you wouldn't find it so funny if I pushed you in the water, Diego."

"Ah, you don't scare me, Sid," Diego said, relaxing on the ground. "And neither does water. You think you're strong and smart enough to push me in, we'll just see what happens. Maybe we won't be having only fish to eat."

"Okay Mr. Great Hunter. Why don't you get some fish, then?"

"You probably scared them all off, Sid."

"Oh, sure, blame me."

Diego smiled at his friend. Sid looked so funny, dripping wet and indignant.

"Fine, I'll get you some fish, but only because you gave me a good laugh a couple of minutes ago."

They ate; the possums had run off somewhere, but Diego and Sid weren't concerned about them.

"All right," Diego said. "You've eaten now. How about a run? I know I'm in the mood for a good sprint."

"Speak for yourself," Sid said. "Running is boring and exhausting."

"You know what makes it more interesting?"

"What?"

"When you're chasing something."

Sid suddenly noticed that Diego was in a 'pounce' position.

"You can join my run whether you want to or not, but it starts in 3 2 1 go!"

Sid screamed again as Diego jumped at him, growling and swiping. They took off back to the camp. Diego was faster, of course, but he stayed just behind Sid, taking an occasional claws-retracted swipe at him or even a nip that missed.

As they drew nearer to the camp and Sid was out of breath, Diego pounced again, this time pinning him to the ground. Diego growled a deep, low, almost gentle growl as he looked down at his worn out prey. He lowered his head and gave Sid a tender nip on the shoulder. Hard enough to be felt, but not to hurt. Then he stepped back and let Sid get up.

Though it was starting to slow down now that the chase was over, Diego's heart was pumping fast with adrenalin. He hadn't had a chase like that since forever. It had been genuinely thrilling, despite the fact that it was playful and all in fun.

"Gee, Diego, give me a heart attack."

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me that wasn't fun. You know I wouldn't eat you. I told you, I don't eat junk food."

"Oh ha ha ha, Diego. That got old already."

"You…you didn't really think I was gonna hurt you, did you?"

"You bit me!" Sid said resentfully, rubbing his shoulder.

"That wasn't a bite," Diego scoffed. "It was…" he didn't know what to call it. It wasn't a bite meant to hurt. It was like…like Sierra rubbing her head against Diego the other day. Only less…obvious. Diego shook his head. "You wouldn't understand it."

"Okay, whatever," Sid said. "It didn't hurt."

"Good. It wasn't supposed to."

The two stood in silence for a minute. It was an awkward silence because neither one of them knew what to say. Diego was relieved to see Sierra a minute later. When she wasn't hanging out with the rest of Diego's herd, the two of them had taken to going on walks together.

"Look, it's Sierra," Diego said, his relief at the end of the silence obvious in his voice. "I think I'm gonna take off for awhile."

"Why do you always go out with her?" Sid asked. "You said you were only friends, not gonna be mates. What do you do on those walks that seem to take half the day?"

"We talk," Diego said simply. It was the truth. It was good to have another tiger to talk to, and he genuinely liked Sierra and enjoyed the time spent with her.

"About what?"

"Your inability to take any hints, especially when someone is trying to get you to stop asking dumb questions."

Sid was surprised. "I don't need hints. You usually just tell me to shut up."

"Fine. Shut up, Sid." But he said it with a smile before taking off, so Sid would know Diego wasn't trying to be mean.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Diego," Sierra said, shaking her head and grinning. "I've never seen you like that before. You were actually…playing. In a friendly way. I'm impressed."

"What's wrong with that?" Diego responded defensively.

"Nothing!" Sierra said. "I think it's good."

"What? I didn't do anything. I don't like the way you're looking at me, with that knowing smile."

Sierra sighed and shook her head, but her expression remained the same. "I've gotta tell you, Diego, there is a _reason_ that male tigers mate female tigers."

"Yeah," Diego said. "To make baby tigers."

"Well, yeah, but other than that."

"I told you, Sierra—"

"Cut it out, I'm not talking about us. Listen to me. The reason that male tigers mate female tigers is because we totally get you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Diego, you may find this hard to believe, but I can read you like a book. I can totally tell what you're thinking. I can learn so much about you by just…watching you. Watching how you interact with others. I can see, and I can understand. I totally get you, Diego. I get you."

Diego slowly tried to comprehend what she just said. "What, you…you think you can read my mind or something, and that makes you know and understand what I'm thinking?"

"No, not like that, Diego. It's not like I can tell the words that are going through your head or anything. But I can tell when something's bothering you, and I can usually tell what it is. You understand what I mean when I say that males, male tigers in particular, don't like to show feelings or emotions. Right?"

Diego shrugged. He was uncomfortable with this conversation, and afraid of where she could be leading.

"Well," she continued, "So female tigers can get a sense of male tigers' feelings without them having to tell them. I can tell, by the way you act and the way you talk to me, that you consider me a friend. You like me. As a friend. You have no intention of mating me, and that's fine, but you enjoy spending time with me and value my friendship. I can tell what you think of your other friends as well. You like them, care about them, feel protective of them, and are grateful to have them. But they don't always know that. Because you're so subtle about it. You know, I was talking to Sid yesterday. He said that sometimes he wished he knew what you were thinking. Sometimes it seems like you like him and sometimes it seems like you hate him. I know you like him, Diego, but he doesn't know that."

"I've told him he's my friend," Diego cut in. "That's enough."

"It's not enough for him. He gets really upset sometimes. He told me. I don't think you realize how seriously he takes you when you say something mean to him."

"He knows I'm kidding."

"That isn't the point. Diego, he's had a rough life. He's been kicked out of every herd he's ever been in. You have no idea how much it means to him to feel loved and accepted. He needs that. Why do you think he stayed with that other herd of sloths that took him?"

Diego was surprised. He never thought it that way. "I guess you're right."

Sierra smiled. "See, it's difficult for him. Diego, with the way you act around him, from my observations, I can tell what you really think of him. But he can't. And you're afraid to tell him. Frankly, it'd be a lot easier on both of you if he was a female tiger—"

"You're telling me," Diego muttered under his breath.

"—because that way you wouldn't have to tell him. He would just know."

"Listen," Diego said. "I'm not telling anyone anything. I never even told you anything. Just…cut it out. There's nothing for me to tell him anymore. If he can't get that I'm his friend, that's his own problem."

"Diego, you know there's more to it than that."

"There's nothing more to anything!" Diego snapped. "Quit acting like you know everything! You…you don't know anything about anything that I'm thinking! You…you can't just hang out with us for a few days and then start going around making assumptions and thinking you're helping! Because you're not!"

And Diego stormed off, leaving Sierra, deflated, by herself.

…**pause for dramatic effect. Oh and I mean that literally. I think I'm gonna wait a day or two before updating. I know it'll drive you guys crazy, but hey, have fun guessing and anticipating what's gonna happen. ;) **

**G.S. II**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Diego could not sleep. It was a warm, comfortable night, but Diego was restless and couldn't relax. He kept glancing over at Sid, who was snoring peacefully on a rock. A twinge of annoyance went through Diego at the sight of him. He remembered all to well the night that Sid had said that the next day was the day the vultures said everyone was going to die, and then went straight to sleep. Sid could sleep through anything. He never had nights where he was restless, and couldn't stop thinking.

He glanced over at Sid again, and wondered what it was that caused Sierra to make her…assumptions. Diego was so protective of his own feelings. He was so subtle, and so _careful_. His every move was meticulously thought-out, so that no one would have any suspicions, especially Sid. This in itself was becoming a problem. Not only was it becoming increasingly difficult, but Sierra had pointed out another issue that needed to be resolved. Diego never wanted anyone to know about his secret feelings for his friend, but if no one knew about it, no one could do anything about it. Nothing would happen. Sid would never know how he felt. As much of a relief as this was, it also made Diego wonder what Sid would think of him if he did know. And would it be good, or bad?

Diego wanted to roar in his frustration, but he didn't want to wake his companions. He felt bad for snapping at Sierra earlier, and wondered if she was upset with him now. Would she even show up to try to talk to him tomorrow? Diego felt so confused. She was smart, and she knew Diego. Almost better than he did. She wanted to help him, and he knew she probably could, if he let her. But did he even want to let her?

But here was another problem: letting her would be acknowledging his feelings, admitting them. Like that would ever happen. Diego barely let himself think about it inside his head; the thought of actually saying something out loud to another living creature, even one who already knew, was ridiculous.

Diego saw no possible way that this would work. There was no way anything would work.

Diego's sleepless night progressed into morning, and as his friends were stirring, he got up and got a drink from the nearby stream. When his thirst was quenched, he looked at his reflection in the water.

"Gee, Diego, you look awful. Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

He looked up at the friendly voice across the river. Her smile was nervous, but he was glad to see her. There had been many worries that kept him awake, and one of them was that she would be upset with him for yelling at her.

"You're certainly early this morning," Diego said.

"I know," Sierra replied. "I was worried you were still mad at me. I came here to apologize for yesterday. I knew you were uncomfortable with some of the things I was trying to talk about. I should have left it alone."

Diego shook his head. "You shouldn't have to apologize. I was the one who yelled at you. I'm sorry. You…" it was easier than saying the actual words, but it needed to be communicated. "You were right, you know. I'm sorry I was acting like a jerk."

She jumped across the river to his side and rubbed her head against his. "It was brave of you to admit that. But what are you gonna do about it?"

They heard some mutterings, and noticed everyone else waking up. Sid sat up on his rock and rubbed his eyes. Sierra nodded her head towards him. "Go on," she said. "Talk to him. Tell him what you told me."

"I didn't tell you anything except that you were right. That's the closest I come to saying anything."

"Show him, then," she urged. "Go like this." she leaned her head against him again.

"No!" Diego said, backing up. "We have a strict no-touching rule."

Sierra rolled her eyes.

"Listen," Diego said softly, "can we talk about this elsewhere? Where we won't be overheard?"

"Fine," Sierra said, running ahead not bothering to wait for Diego.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When he caught up with her, she was lying down on the ground, waiting for him. "So what are you going to do?" she asked, a very serious tone in her voice.

Diego sighed. "I don't know," he said, sitting down beside her.

"Diego," Sierra said earnestly, "I know that you're afraid of talking to him, afraid of showing your feelings, but you've got to face that. Otherwise nothing's gonna change."

"Fine," Diego said stubbornly. "I can live with that."

"No," Sierra contradicted. "It will just make things worse. You've gotta do something, Diego."

"But I'm not gonna do anything or say anything. Sierra, don't you understand? If I tell him, he'll know! He can't know! He'll tell the others. Everyone will just…laugh at me. 'Look at the tough tiger. He likes someone. He has feelings.' It's not about being afraid, Sierra. It's about—"

"Dignity. Pride."

He stopped and stared at her. She never ceased to amaze him.

"Right," he said slowly, eyeing her suspiciously.

"The things you give up when you love someone."

"What? No way!"

"Come on, Diego, think! Isn't he worth it?"

Diego stopped for a second and thought. About Sid. Sid was sometimes very pathetic, helpless and hopeless. Lazy, too. But he had a good spirit. When he had friends, he didn't go halfway. He truly cared about his friends, loved them, and would do anything for them. Diego was included in that. Sid would do anything for Diego, but what would he think of him if he knew? Diego shuddered, convincing himself it wasn't in fear. He couldn't. It wasn't worth the risk. "Sierra," Diego said, "If there was a way for him to know, to just suddenly know without being told, and I had a way to sure of his reactions, then maybe. But there's no way. That's impossible. Sid's not like you, he can't just know what I'm thinking, how I'm feeling. I'll just…go back there…and keep things the way they are now."

"You won't be happy," Sierra said, almost like a warning. "It will just get worse. I mean, every time you look at him…it won't work. Last night you couldn't even sleep. Why will tonight be any better? You can try it, but I doubt it will help anyway."

"What can I do, though? I know you're right, Sierra…every time I see him…and I might not be able to sleep at night…this stupid thing is gonna destroy me. Every time I see him…" Then Diego stopped, getting a sudden idea. "I can't stay there," he said. "I need to leave. I gotta go."

"Wait, Diego, what are you talking about?"

"Sierra!" Diego said. "Let me go with you. I can't stay there any longer! It'll drive me crazy, I won't be able to stand it. Let me go and live with you, Sierra. The only reason we met was because you were looking for a mate. Well, I can go with you! You can be my mate!"

"Diego, that's ridiculous. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life! You don't want to mate me! How many times have you told me that?"

"Come on, Sierra. We get along, don't we? You're a really good friend to me. We could do well together. Why can't I mate you?"

"Be…because. You don't love me, Diego."

"Yeah I do."

"But only as a friend. You don't mate with someone you only love as a friend."

"Why not, Sierra? I could use this. We care about each other. It could work."

"But you don't want to mate me, Diego."

"Yeah I do," he insisted. "I need to. If I go and mate with you, I won't think about Sid anymore. It can't work, me and him. I can't talk to him. But I can talk to you, Sierra. We get along well. You understand me. You get me."

Sierra hesitated. She didn't know what to say. It was true that he had a point, but this was irrational. He didn't even know what he was saying. She looked at him, trying read his expression.

Diego was hopeful, and almost excited, as though he had finally found a solution to his seemingly impossible problem. "What do you say, Sierra?"

"I'm not saying anything," Sierra said, keeping her voice steady but sounding slightly hurt. Sounding scared. "I don't think you want to do this. Especially not spontaneously. You need to spend some time thinking about it. A lot of time. Sleep on it. I need to go and do some thinking myself. I'll see you tomorrow, Diego."

"But," he said, and she turned back. "When I see you tomorrow, and want to go with you, you won't say no?"

Sierra sighed. "I won't say no," she said.

Diego ran toward her and rubbed his head against hers, as she had done to him. She didn't move.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Sierra stepped back and shook her head. "I have to go," she said, and ran off. Diego watched her for a minute, and a feeling of melancholy washed over him. He walked slowly back to his herd.


	12. Chapter 12

**  
Chapter 12**

The more Diego thought about whether to go live with and mate Sierra, the more it seemed less like a choice he had and more like something he had to do. As though it was his fate. It wasn't a choice anymore. It was an obligation.

In the morning, Diego waited until everyone was awake, and got their attention.

"Guys, I've got something to tell you," he said. They were all looking at him, and Diego suddenly felt nervous. There was no turning back now. He still could, if he wanted to, but Diego saw past that. He didn't have a choice. "I'm going to leave," Diego said. "I've been talking to Sierra, and…we've decided to get mated. I'm going to go and live with her pack from now on."

"What?" a few of them said at once.

"Diego, I'm happy you two decided to mate, you can still stay, can't you?" Ellie said. "Sierra likes us, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. And we all like her."

Diego shook his head. "We can't," he said. "We can't stay here. Sierra has a family, and we're going to live there. I'm sorry."

"Come on, Diego, you can't leave," Manny said. "Do what I did, like Ellie said. Bring her with."

"I said I can't," Diego said. "We're leaving tonight. I'm going to go and live with her and her herd. I already decided."

The possums seemed only slightly disappointed; they enjoyed making fun of him or playing with him sometimes, like when he tried to catch them but they kept dodging in and out of holes.

Diego looked at Sid, who hadn't said anything yet. He wasn't looking at Diego. He wasn't looking at anything.

"Sid?" Diego said softly, almost nervously.

Sid blinked at him. "What?"

"A…aren't you going to say anything?"

Sid shrugged. "I don't know what to say. I misjudged you. But I guess it's not the first time." He got up and walked away. Diego and Manny watched him.

"Gee, you sure gave him a lot of thought when you made this decision," Manny said sarcastically.

Diego opened his mouth to retort, then closed it again for lack of anything to say.

"You're a hypocrite, you know. You got all upset when he left, and now you're doing the same thing. I'm surprised at you. What made you change your mind, anyway? Last week you said you didn't want to mate Sierra. What happened to just friends?"

"Nothing happened," Diego said. "Sid's overreacting. If he cared about whether or not I was in his pack, he would have come back. That showed he didn't care. So now I'm leaving, and if he can't deal with it, that's his problem."

"If you're all ready to go leave him now, then why were you so eager to get him back in the first place?"

"This is different," Diego said forcefully. "I have my own reasons for leaving, alright? I don't need you to interrogate me. I…I'm going for a walk." Diego passed by Sid as he left, and looked at him to see if Sid would return the glance. He didn't. He was just staring at the ground. After he passed, Diego sighed, and looked at the same thing. He didn't see anything. Not anything worth seeing.

**I know it's not much, but I'll be back again as soon as I can, I promise. Hope you're enjoying it, and for those of you who think you're going to be dying in the near future, please hold on, because hopefully the ending will be worth reading, and if you die before I get a chance to write the next few chapters, you won't be able to read it, and that will make me sad :( anyway like I said I'll update again ASAP.**


	13. Chapter 13

**  
Chapter 13**

The day was dark and cloudy. No one felt like doing anything. If the sun would have been visible, it would be in the west, preparing itself for its descent. Diego was sitting beneath the sky, waiting. All of them were waiting. No one spoke. No one had anything to say. They were in a circle, the six of them, except Sid was facing outward, away from the rest. Diego was watching him with a feeling of dread that grew stronger with every passing minute.

Suddenly he heard a sound and looked up. He let go of the breath he didn't realize he had been holding, and exhaled slowly. Sierra was here. It was time for him to go. The animals watched her as she approached their group, listening to the whispers of her feet as they hit the ground. She joined their circle, and looked at the ground, an expression of sad acceptance on her face. She said nothing, and did not make eye contact with anyone.

Diego felt restless all of a sudden. This was enough. This was too much. This was it. "Well?" he said, harsher than he meant.

"Let her catch her breath, Diego, come on," Manny said.

"You're going to come, aren't you?" Sierra said to Diego. She knew what decision he had made, but it was not the one she had hoped for.

"You know," Ellie said, "For a couple that's about to be mated, the two of you don't seem very happy."

No one could think of a response to this. Diego got up and walked over to Sierra, and sat down next to her. "I'm coming," he said.

"Well shouldn't we say good-bye to our friends first?" Sierra asked.

The mammoths and possums went over to the couple, saying good-bye and wishing them good luck. Sid still hadn't moved. Diego looked from him to Sierra, unsure of what to do. Sid was the reason he was leaving, but Diego wanted to leave him on good terms. He didn't want him angry.

Diego walked up to Sid, approaching him from behind. He noticed that Sierra had gotten the others' attention on the other side of the camp, so they didn't notice him. "Uh, Sid?" Diego said.

"What do you want?" Sid said. He didn't sound angry, but he sounded defeated. The same tone of voice as Sierra.

"I wanted to say good-bye," Diego said, knocking his head softly against the back of Sid's. "I…I'm gonna miss you." It felt weird to be saying this. As though it was the last chance he had speaking with Sid, and was trying his hardest to communicate with him, tell him things. Tell him the truth. Without telling him.

"You missed me, you wouldn't be leaving," Sid said simply, and was silent.

Diego was at a loss for what to do. He looked back at Sierra and the others, who still weren't looking at him, and then again at Sid, who was staring at the horizon, where the sun was lowering itself to the ground, ready to set. "I…I don't want to leave, Sid. I have to." Not only was Diego trying to convince Sid, he was trying to convince himself. This was the only way out. He didn't have a choice.

Sid didn't respond. Diego looked from side to side again, and then at the sun, and gave up hope. This was it. This was over. Diego turned to walk away with Sierra, and then, spontaneously, as a last gesture of good-bye, licked the back of Sid's head. Then he walked away.

"I'm ready," he said to Sierra. "Let's go."

"Fine," she said, not looking at him. "Come on."

And they walked off, leaving the others watching them disappear, and Sid on the other side, watching the sun. The sun was going down, abandoning the world and leaving it in darkness. But unlike Diego, the sun promised to return to next morning. Diego…would probably be gone forever.


	14. Chapter 14

**  
Chapter 14**

"I can't believe you're just leaving," Sierra said. "You're just walking out on them, as though they don't mean a thing to you."

"Cut it out, Sierra. This was hard enough on me already. I did what I had to do."

"Did you even see Sid, Diego? Did you notice how upset he was? He loves you, Diego, which doesn't make the least bit of sense considering how mean you are to him. He doesn't understand you. You've hurt him. You tell him you like him, and then change your mind. That stings. He's just sitting there, wondering what he did wrong, why you've decided you don't care about him anymore. How can you be so cruel to him, Diego?"

"What, so now you can read sloths just like you can read tigers? Give it a rest, Sierra. This is difficult enough without you making it worse, all right?"

"No! It's not all right, and I'm not giving it a rest! I'm upset by what you did and I think you made the wrong choice."

"What do you want from me, Sierra? What's done is done. You shouldn't have let me come with you then anyway. Why did you let me?"

Sierra sighed, and looked at the ground. "You're right," she said. "Maybe I shouldn't have let you come with me. I decided to because I thought that if you were desperate enough to walk out on them, then that must be what you really wanted. To get out of there. I cared about you and wanted to help you."

"And now you don't anymore?"

"No, I still do. It's just…I don't know. I guess I was hoping you'd stay. I thought that would make you happier than coming with me, that's all. I like you and I'm trying to help you out."

"Thank you, Sierra, but you've done enough. You don't need to try and convince me to go back."

"I'll stop. I'm sorry." Then she sighed. "You wouldn't have made it anyway."

"What do you mean?" Diego asked.

"Diego, remember when you had a fear of water and Sid helped you overcome it?"

"Yeah," Diego muttered. He didn't like thinking about that because it was admitting that he had a weakness.

"Sid helps you out when you're scared of something."

"What's your point, Sierra?" Diego said crossly.

"You're scared of this. That's the vibe I've been getting from you. You're scared to talk to him. You're scared to tell him the truth. You're afraid of him finding out and of others finding out."

"Well can you blame me?" Diego said, annoyed that Sierra had discovered his 'other' fear. "Me. Sid. Yeah, right."

"Yeah," Sierra said. "You're afraid of it. And you can't face your fear because you can't do that by yourself. You need Sid to help you. But he can't help you because then you'd have to tell him, and you're scared of that. It's like a paradox or something. There's no way to solve it. So instead of trying to face it by yourself, you go and take the easy way out by running off. There you see the tough, brave tiger now. Running away from his fear instead of facing it."

"Sierra!" Diego wasn't just annoyed now; he was angry. "How can you say something like that! I'm not running away! It's not like that! Only cowards run away!"

"Well you're a coward then!" she yelled back. "That's what you are! You're afraid to talk to him so you're running away! You're not just a coward, Diego, you're a jerk! Can't you see that Sid loves you! He doesn't care that it's you, Diego! He was really upset back there and you're just going to leave him like that! I don't know why he even wants you! And it wasn't just Sid you were leaving, it was all your friends! You're just walking out on them, betraying them! Oh, wait," Sierra said, paused, and gave Diego a death glare. "But they've come to expect that from you, haven't they? First you almost lead them to their deaths—"

Sierra's words got cut off because Diego had jumped at her and pinned her to the ground. Sierra swiped at him, trying to get him off. The clouds above broke open and rain came pouring down on the tigers, who, after a few more swipes, ceased fighting and broke apart. The two stood there, doing nothing but breathing heavily for a few minutes before looking at each other. Sierra made an attempt at an apologetic smile.

"Sorry I scratched you," Diego muttered, a bit embarrassed at his outburst.

"Don't be," Sierra said, shaking her head. She looked at him. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going back," Diego muttered.

Delighted, Sierra ran to him and rubbed her head against his, as though he hadn't just attacked her a minute ago. "Good," she said. "I'm proud of you, Diego."


	15. Chapter 15

**  
Chapter 15**

When Diego came closer to the herd, he became nervous and ran ahead so he would get there before he could change his mind. The mammoths and possums were asleep and had taken cover from the rain beneath a tree, but Sid was still sitting in his same spot, getting soaked but looking as though he didn't care. Diego slipped up to him and felt his pulse go up. He was here, back with Sid. He thought he was going to leave Sid; he thought he wasn't going to see him again.

Diego leaned down and put his head against Sid's.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left." Sid had the same tone of voice as before. Depressed, defeated, and annoyed with Diego for causing it.

"I came back," Diego muttered, nuzzling Sid with the side of his head. He felt as though his heart had jumped into his throat, he was so nervous. The rain was slowing down, but Sid's fur was waterlogged, and the water dripped out where Diego put his head.

"Why?"

"I missed you," Diego said, and felt his already high pulse rate about triple.

Sid got up and backed away at these words, turning to face Diego. He looked at him suspiciously, as though trying to see if he was telling the truth.

"I…I mean it, Sid. I'm back. I don't want to leave. I don't want to mate Sierra. I only like her as a friend. I…oh, Sid, how do I get you to believe me? This is hard for me to say, all right?" Diego walked up close to Sid.

"What happened to Lord of Touch Me and You're Dead?"

"I changed my mind," Diego muttered. "Listen to me, Sid. Remember a week or two ago when I stole you back from those freaks? You wanna know why I did it? 'Cos I was jealous, all right? I was jealous off how much you liked them and that you'd rather be in a herd with them than with me. And 'cos I missed you. That's why I got you back. I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't."

"Then how come after, I put my hand on your back and you got mad?"

"Because I didn't want you to know, all right? I just…all right, shut up and come here." Diego walked up to Sid and laid his head over his shoulder. He felt Sid, after some hesitation, put his arms around Diego's neck and hug him. Diego let go of his held breath in relief, and felt better. They led the hug for a moment, and then pulled apart. Diego was staring determinedly at the ground, waiting for the analysis. Like Sierra said, if Diego couldn't tell him, to show him.

"Diego?"

"Yeah?" he said, barely daring to look Sid in the eye.

"Diego, were you purring back there?"

"What?"

"A minute ago, when you were leaning against me. It sounded like you were purring."

"That's ridiculous," Diego said nervously. "When have you ever heard me purr?"

"I dunno," Sid said, shrugging and smiling. "It just seemed like you did for a second. I kinda liked it actually. It sounded nice."

"You're crazy," Diego said, rolling his eyes. There was relief in his voice, and in his small smile, though, and even Sid could tell.

"Hey, the rain stopped," Sid said, looking at the sky.

"Great," Diego said, grinning and stretching. "Why don't you light a fire the, Lord of the Flame?"

"Yeah all right, sure," Sid said softly. After he had gotten the fire lit, Diego watched Sid as the light bounced off his face. Sid caught Diego looking at him and smiled. "I'm glad you're back in the herd, Diego," he said.

Diego got up and walked around the fire so he was next to Sid. He knocked his head against Sid's. "We're more than just a herd, Sid," he said. "We're family."

**Well guys, I have good news and bad news.**

The end.

**I really hope the ending was worth it. I tell you, it was difficult to write and I actually had temporary writers block a couple of times. I hope you liked it but be honest if you didn't. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, and to everyone who reviewed every time there was an update lol. I appreciate your support and I really hope I didn't disappoint you. Thanks for taking the time to read and review my story. Goodbye for now, see you next time I get a brilliant idea for some messed up slash. Laters!**

**George Stark II (Esquire)**


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